Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 19 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Second-class feast

St. Luke the Evangelist is celebrated in Ordinary Time (the Time after Pentecost), a season focused on the growth and mission of the Church following Christ’s Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. This feast honors Luke, traditionally recognized as the author of the Gospel that bears his name and of Acts, and as a physician and companion of St. Paul. The canonical rank “Double of the II Class” indicates a significant liturgical celebration: it takes precedence over many local observances and directs the community to celebrate with solemn prayer, readings, and often the proper Mass and Office for the day. This feast matters because it highlights the Gospel writer whose detailed account has shaped Christian belief and pastoral care through the centuries.

Daily Prayer

The Introit for this day has not yet been generated.

Weekly Prayer

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Weekly Formation

Anger and Meekness

The Way of Darkness

Anger
Sinful anger is a disordered movement toward revenge or punishment beyond what justice and charity allow. The emotion of anger can arise without sin, but it becomes vicious when deliberately nursed into resentment, hatred, cruelty, or uncontrolled retaliation.

The Way of Light

Meekness
Meekness moderates anger so that strength remains under the command of reason and charity. It is not weakness or indifference to injustice; it enables correction and defense of the good without hatred, cruelty, or loss of self-possession.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Luke

St. Luke the Evangelist

one of the four evangelists

Born: Antioch
Died: 0084-01-01 · Thebes

Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figures in early Christianity such as Jerome and Eusebius later reaffirmed his authorship, although a lack of conclusive evidence as to the identity of the author of the works has led to discussion in scholarly circles, both secular and religious.

Learn more about Luke

Today in Church History

No Church history reflection has been prepared for this date yet.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

In these paragraphs, the Catechism teaches that peace is rooted in charity, justice, respect for human dignity, and the safeguarding of human life. Murderous anger, deliberate hatred, and the desire for revenge are contrary to charity, while Christ calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Peace is more than the absence of war: it is the tranquillity of order, born from justice and charity. Christ is our peace, and he blesses peacemakers. As we pray and live these teachings, we can ask for hearts that reject hatred and seek the good of others. Those who renounce violence and bloodshed while safeguarding human rights through means available to the weakest bear witness to evangelical charity, provided they respect the rights and obligations of others.

The Catechism teaches that the fifth commandment forbids the intentional destruction of human life and urges everyone to prayer and action so that God may free us from the bondage of war (CCC 2307). Governments may exercise lawful self-defense only after peace efforts have failed and only under strict moral conditions, including grave and certain harm, the exhaustion of other means, serious prospects of success, and avoidance of evils worse than the one being addressed (CCC 2308-2309). Public authorities may require what is necessary for national defense, while also making equitable provision for those who refuse to bear arms for reasons of conscience and who must serve the human community in another way (CCC 2310-2311). The Church affirms that the moral law remains in force during armed conflict: non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be treated humanely, and genocide and indiscriminate destruction of cities or populations are gravely condemned (CCC 2312-2314). The Catechism also warns that the arms race does not ensure peace and can aggravate conflict, hinder aid to needy populations, and increase the danger of escalation; the production and sale of arms must therefore be regulated for the common good (CCC 2315-2316). For Catholic families, these passages invite us to pray for peace and to recognize that overcoming injustice, distrust, envy, and pride helps build peace and avoid war (CCC 2307, 2317).

Today's Mass Readings

Open the day's Sancta MissaDivinum Officium · Divino Afflatu - 1954View readings